Labels can be hard to overcome in the NBA. For example, when a player is deemed a "stat-padder," as fans and pundits did with Russell Westbrook , the former league MVP found it nearly impossible to shed the tag until his recent retirement.
The same can be said for supposed "hotheads" like Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks , as the two players are often remembered for their clashes with opponents rather than their incredible defensive prowess.
According to Trevor Ariza , he felt the same way when he was slapped with the label "3-and-D" player, which he carried throughout his entire 18-year career.
A 6'8″ wingman who played college basketball at UCLA before getting selected by the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2004 NBA Draft, Ariza was capable of impacting the game in many different ways. Defend the opposing team's best perimeter weapons and smaller power forwards? Check. Drive hard to the rack? You got it. Make perimeter shots? No sweat.
At the same time, Ariza realized that for a team to fulfill its potential, not everyone could be the star and take a million shots per game; someone had to take on roles, which he did. He admitted, though, that it irked him to hear his name being placed in the "3-and-D" box.
"I guess before, once the title or the label started becoming a thing, you're like, 'Man, come on, man. What is this?' You know, like, I'm a basketball player. This is just a role that I play cuz this what the team needs me to do, right?" Ariza explained .
"It doesn't really offend me as maybe it irritated me back when they first started using the term. It is what it is. But, you know, basketball players and people that play the game, they understand that in order to be a basketball player or to be a '3-and-D' guy, you actually got to be a basketball player too," he continued.
"And that comes with more than just shooting the ball and guarding the best players. You got to be able to dribble the ball. You got to be able to make decisions on the fly. You got to be able to be a team player in order to take a role on a team."
While it's a badge of honor to be considered a "3-and-D" guy, it can carry negative connotations, as some might think that all that player can do is drain open 3-pointers from the corner and defend well. Ariza clarified that he could do those things and then some.
"In order to be on the court, there's like a basic, you have to have basic things that you can bring to a team. And it was rebounding, running the floor every time, and communicating, you know, and making efforts on defense every chance that you're on the court," Ariza remarked.
"And then after you are able to do those things that get you on the court, then your talent is able to take over. What you do on a nightly basis is what the team may need you to do. Rebound, right? Talk, communicate, make extra, you know, extra-effort plays and, you know, play defense on guys."
With only one ball between five players on the floor, Ariza understood early on that if he couldn't be a superstar, he had to be capable of doing things other than just scoring the basketball: impact plays that would help his team come away with a win on any given night.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Sep 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
